What Is Ozone?
Ozone is a form of oxygen, (O3) sometimes referred to as activated oxygen, or a tri-atomic allotropic form of oxygen. It is the fresh, sweet smell in the air after a storm.
Ozone is a 50% stronger oxidant than chlorine and works 3,000 times faster. It kills bacteria like E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. Ozone reverts to oxygen after its 20-minute half life, leaving no residual chemicals behind. This process is non-selective, which means a given target, such as legionellosis, can develop no immunity or resistance against it.
USDA, FDA, EPA Regulation
The Food and Drug Administration recently amended its food additive regulations to permit ozone as an anti-microbial agent. The amendment, published in the Federal Register on June 28, 2001, allows ozone in gaseous and aqueous states, and as a safe, effective, anti-microbial treatment of meat, poultry, and other food products.
Grote Equipment and Ozone
The Grote Company continually searches for ways to help customers combat difficulties in the food industry, such as biological contamination of food products. With adjustable output levels, the Grote Minicart supplies up to 1.2 ppm of aqueous ozone. The ozone system is not the primary sanitation process, but when used as a final rinse, helps provide a microbe-free surface with no harmful or taste altering residues, no chemical storage, no mixing, and no reporting. It is a simple, rugged, all stainless steel package with onboard ozone generator and pump for efficient ozone mass transfer. Simply connect plant water in and get high-concentration ozonated water out.
Use the system in four ways:
- Pre-process cleaning and break time cleaning. The system injects larger amounts of ozonated water (larger than during the slicing process) into the blade guide to sanitize it before slicing starts.
- Spray wand. Use a spray wand to coat the entire machine to help maintain machine sanitation during breaks.
- Process cleaning. During slicing, the system injects an adjustable amount of ozonated water into the blade guide to continually sanitize it.
- Continuous conveyor and equipment cleaning. Mount optional pipes with permanent nozzles to continually sanitize a conveyor belt or any other desirable area. Sanitize during, before, or after a production run.
Ozone is one of the most effective sanitizers and approved for direct food contact by the FDA. Since ozone reverts to oxygen, it leaves no permanent residue, taste, or odor with food product. For current or new Grote machines, it is the perfect sanitizing additive to water that runs through the blade guide during slicing.
Aqueous Ozone Information
What is Ozone: Ozone is a form of oxygen, (O3) sometimes referred to as activated oxygen, or a tri-atomic allotropic form of oxygen, or pure air. It is a blue gas under normal conditions. It is the fresh, sweet smell after a storm.
How is Ozone Produced: Ozone is produced when ultraviolet light or an electric spark, such as lightning, passes through air or oxygen, breaking it down to charged oxygen atoms. The atoms combine to create molecules of ozone, an unstable gas.
Regulatory Background (USA):
- 1982 Bottled Water Petition receives GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) Status for ozone in bottled water.
- 1997 EPRI Expert panel declares ozone GRAS for general use in foods as a sanitizer and disinfectant (not challenged by the FDA).
- 6/26/2001 FDA/CFSAN publishes Final Rule approving use of gaseous and aqueous ozone in food processing (66 Federal Register 33829-33830).
- 12/21/2001 USDA/FSIS accepts ozone for use with food products (including RTE) even just prior to packaging with no labeling required for treated food product.
- EPA routinely monitors emissions for generators producing 50+ lbs /day.
Ozone as an Anti-microbial Agent:
- Ozone is a very strong oxidant. It can oxidize bacteria, fungi, or odor-producing particles on contact. This process is non-selective, and a given target, such as legionellosis, should develop no immunity or resistance to it.
- Ozone kills bacteria like E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Giardia and Cryptosporidium many times faster than chlorine, and is a much stronger oxidant than chlorine.
- Ozone disinfection of food contact surfaces generates less potential for undesirable residues and DBPs than chlorine.
ORP Explanation:
- Ozone is an oxidant like Chlorine and other sanitizers. Oxidation is the transfer of electrons. When microbes lose electrons they die.
- This transfer of electrons creates an electrical Potential. This Potential is measured as ORP, or Oxidation Reduction Potential.
- ORP is expressed in millivolts. The higher the voltage the greater the oxidation.
- ORP measures the disinfection capability NOT the sanitizer concentration (typically ppm). ORP readings relate to kill rates independent of sanitizer. Grote target range is a cycle form ORP reading of 800 - 900 mV.
- Reported Results:
500 ~ 4000 seconds (E. Coli.)
550 ~ 100 seconds (E. Coli.)
600 ~ 10 seconds (E. Coli.)
650 ~ 0 seconds (E. Coli.)
>800 ~ 0 seconds (Listeria, Salmonella, Yeast, Mold)
Using Grote's ozone system:
- Blade guide pre-process and break-time sanitation - The system injects larger amounts into the blade guide before slicing than during slicing to sanitize it.
- Equipment pre-process and break-time sanitation - Coat the entire machine to help maintain machine sanitation during breaks.
- Process cleaning - During slicing, ozonated water injects into the blade guide to continually sanitize it - no food labeling or contamination issues.
- Optional cleaning of conveyors and other support equipment during run time and breaks.
Reasons for using Grote's ozone system:
- Many food processors use a contractor to sanitize equipment after production ends for the day. The Grote unit allows sanitization during the day and during production runs in conjunction with night-time sanitization.
- Ozone is a powerful sanitizer and approved for direct food contact by the FDA.
- Since ozone reverts back to oxygen, it leaves no permanent residue, taste, or odor with food product.
- On current or new Grote machines, it is the perfect sanitizing additive to water that runs through the blade guide during slicing.
- Ozone needs no chemical storage; it is produced at the point of use.
- Ozone works well in cold environments; higher concentrations in colder water.
- Currently, microbes cannot develop resistance to ozone since it is absorbed like oxygen.
- Ozone reduces processing odors, such as onion smell.
- Food washed directly for microbial reduction has extended shelf life and reduced cross contamination.
General Notes:
- Ozone's half-life is ~ 20 min. (depending on temperature, reactants, etc.&)
- Ozone reverts to oxygen after decay or reaction.
- Cold liquids hold more ozone then hot.
- Spraying ozone under high pressure atomizes ozone out of the water into the air.
- Ozone can affect natural rubber, but not materials like stainless steel, Teflon, Kynar, Tygon, Silicone, Viton and others.
- The limit for eight hour exposure with no side effects is 0.1 ppm in air. An ozone scrubber on each Grote ozone system requires periodic inspection for proper operation.
- Ambient or water temperature, water pH, mineral concentration, and contact time influences ozone potency.For positive results, ozone must reach its target.
|
